Concept 4/10The things that strike you most about Firestone are the eclectic and
exciting planting, and some really tough and ramped-up greens. They
swallow some otherwise very straight and ordinary holes and transform
what might have been dull into a course with a modicum of interest. But
itís a typical American tournament course, reliant on the long and straight,
without many fripperies, and suffers as a consequence.

Appearance 5/10For an old, tired VGA Tour course, this isnít too bad. Yes, itís reliant on stock textures and seams are terrible. Yes, thereís a lack of
clear views and the mesh work is dire, especially around bunkers. But the use of colours and inventiveness in the planting is ahead of
anything from its time, and for that alone the course holds up.

Playability 7/10Given the lack of variety in the hole designs, this is a decent round of golf, providing you can adjust to the American-tournament-golfer
mentality. One fairly major annoyance is the prevalence of hard, wide paths; while they donít always adversely affect your score, it is
irritating to watch them bounce stray shots all over the course. That one thing aside, this course passes the time relatively well for one
of its age.

Challenge 9/10Firestone is one that has been pitched well. Certainly, the greens are tough, and may be fractionally beyond the pale for Mod players.
But thereís nothing in the way of deep rough, and approach shots will require forethought and precision. The Par 4s might not give up
many strokes: save your game for the long Ďuns.

Technical 5/10By the standards of its time, this is a cut above. Only slightly above, mind you: thereís some poor surface work and a lack of low-level
planting. But the customisation looks great, and you can tell the designers have pushed the boat out (somewhat!) to model features
that might otherwise have been overlooked.

Overall

A course with some appeal, despite the sinking reputation of older MS tracks.
Requires a little more flair than on first appearance, and will present a tough
challenge to the best putters.

30/50

Please remember that Clipnote reviews are the opinion of one person and do not constitute an 'Official' Links Corner review of the course.